When cutting with a high-pressure liquid-oxygen jet such as the type known from West German patent no. DE-PS 35 43 657, the cutting speeds reached are markedly higher than those reached with the conventional flame cutting method. This also makes it possible, for example, when blooms are transversely cut, to reduce the travel segment of the cutting nozzle along the length of the bloom down to the width of the bloom in question (also see BHM Journal, volume 134 (1989), issue 5, pages 133 to 136 "Loxjet.RTM.- an autogenous flame cutting method for maximum cutting speeds", subtitle 4: areas of application for the Loxjet.RTM. method).
In this process, as is the case with strand flame cutting machines with gaseous oxygen, the cutting device is coupled to the bloom and the bloom as well as the cutting device are moved along the travel segment in the longitudinal direction. Simultaneously, there is a crosswise movement of the flame cutter. After the separating cut has been completed, the entire cutting device moves back to the beginning of the travel segment. This technique requires drives for the movement in the longitudinal direction as well as for the crosswise direction.